An off-duty Contra Costa sheriff's deputy died in Lake Tahoe while trying to rescue a friend whom he thought was drowning.

Deputy Carlos Francies, 30, was hired by the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department in December 2011 and was assigned to work at the Martinez Detention Center, according to the sheriff's department.

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"We are all devastated," said an officials with the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department. "We lost one of our family members who was well-liked, well-respected and hard-working."

Francies went to Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova and played football for Sacramento State University in 2005.

"Deputy Francies was our colleague and friend," said Sgt. Shawn Welsh, of the Contra Costa Sheriff's Deputy Association. "He was an outstanding position and professional. He will be missed."

Francies was visiting South Lake Tahoe with family and friends and was spending Thursday afternoon on El Dorado Beach near the intersection of Highway 50 and Lakeview Avenue.

Francies, his girlfriend, his sister and another man rented paddleboards and kayaks near the beach and were out in Lake Tahoe about 100 yards from shore in water with a depth of about 15 feet, according to South Lake Tahoe police.

Francies and his girlfriend were close together on their paddleboards, while his sister and the other friend were about 50 yards away from them.

Francies' sister fell off her kayak about 2:45 p.m. from a standing position, and the friend left his own kayak to help her. Once she was back onboard, the friend, with paddle in hand, began to swim back to the kayak, police said.

Because he was swimming with the paddle, it appeared to Francies that his friend needed help. Francies immediately jumped from his own paddleboard to swim to his friend, whom he thought was possibly drowning, according to investigators.

When Francies was about 20 feet from his paddleboard, he began to struggle to stay on the surface and called for his girlfriend, who is a registered nurse, to throw him a life jacket.

She tried to toss it to him, but the winds were too strong, and it fell short of Francies.

Francies' girlfriend jumped into the water to get the life jacket and bring it to him, but she could see Francies beginning to sink.

The girlfriend got to him before he sank completely, but Francies appeared to be unconscious, police said.

People nearby arrived to help bring Francies into shallow water and eventually pull him to shore on a paddlebaord, but he then was fully unconscious.

Francies' girlfriend began CPR on Francies as medical personnel arrived. Francies was taken to Barton Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

"Today we lost a dedicated deputy sheriff and a member of our family," Contra Costa Sheriff David Livingston said. "He is a hero and an example of exactly what is right in law enforcement today."

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department also issued a statement about Francies' death:

"The South Lake Tahoe Police Department recognizes that Deputy Carlos Francies acted heroically in laying down his own life in his attempt to save another here in our city. We are deeply saddened at the loss of this brave public servant, and extend our deepest condolences to his family, to his agency and to his community.